


Episode 12 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle

by RobertBruceScott



Category: Star Trek
Genre: Action/Adventure, Detectives, F/M, Multi, Murder Mystery, Politics, Science Fiction, Space Battles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-26 19:02:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21379009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobertBruceScott/pseuds/RobertBruceScott
Summary: Justice Minerva Irons is tasked with mediating the selection of the next Andorian Emperor - only to find the presumptive emperor has been murdered and the royal houses are about to start a civil war...
Relationships: Red / Kenny Dolphin





	1. Opening Quote for Episode 12

Chapter 12 – Prisoner in the Ice Castle

_ “Andorian imperial succession has always been an extremely emotional and intensely violent affair. Since the Andorian Empire became one of the three founding governments of the United Federation of Planets and with federation mediators, under the Federation Charter, playing a central role in facilitating succession, the death toll has been significantly reduced. In the opinion of andorian historians, an imperial succession with an official death count of less than a thousand is considered a bloodless transition.”   
__ “It is crucial that federation mediators do not try to play god in these transitions. It is never our role to choose the new emperor or to allow the royal families choose the new emperor. Our role is to ensure an orderly process and help all parties to accept the inevitability of the outcome on the ground – to sanctify this outcome and prevent endless reprisals. It is by far the most difficult and delicate negotiation I have ever conducted and I conducted the vast majority of it in complete silence, without ever saying a word.” Ambassador Sarek, __Notes on the Fifth Federation-Mediated Succession of the Andorian Empire_.

12 - Prisoner in the Ice Castle

Crew of the U.S.S. Hunter: (Ship's Interactive Holographic Avatar - Hunter)

At-Large Appellate Justice, Captain Minerva Irons  
Chief Executive Officer - Commander David Pepper  
Chief Operations Officer - Lt. Commander Mlady

Medical Director - Commander Tali Shae  
Asst. Medical Director - Lt. Jazz Sam Sinder  
Epidemiologist - Lt. Napoleon Boles  
Ensign Chrissiana Trei  
Forensic Specialist - Midshipman Sif  
Emergency Medical Hologram - Dr. Raj  
Tactical Medical Hologram - Dr. Kim

Director of Flight Operations - Lt. Kenneth Dolphin  
Asst. Flight Dir. - 2nd Lt. Gaia Gamor  
Navigator Johanna Imex  
Navigator Eli Strahl  
Ensign Ethan Phillips  
Chief Flight Specialist Dewayne Guth  
Flight Specialist Dih Terri  
Flight Specialist Joey Chin  
Flight Specialist Winnifreid Salazaar

Director of Ground Operations - Lt. Tauk  
Asst. Ground Ops Dir. - 2nd Lt. T’Lon  
Investigator Lynhart Shran  
Investigator Buttons N'gumbo  
Ensign Tolon Reeves  
Tactical Specialist Jarrong  
Tactical Specialist Belo Rys  
Tactical Specialist Belo Garr  
Tactical Specialist Belo Cantys

Director of Engineering - Lt. Sarekson Carrera  
Asst. Engineering Dir. - 2nd Lt. Moon Sun Salek  
Midshipman Tammy Brazil  
Transporter Engineer K'rok  
Ensign Sun Ho Hui  
Flight Engineer Yolanda Thomas  
Flight Engineer Thomas Hobbs  
Flight Engineer Tomos  
Flight Engineer Kerry Gibbon


	2. Episode 12.1 - Ice Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Hunter's Ground Operations Department attempts a rescue at the infamous Ice Hole - a private prison facility operated by the Andorian House Shav...
> 
> _Chief Dewayne Guth had brought them in the wagon as far down into the cavern as the wagon could safely descend, then flew up out of the cavern, where he was station keeping nearby. Strongly magnetized metal deposits in the ice prevented the use of the transporter. Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys were each carrying a pattern enhancer, but within another hundred meters, these would also become useless - the magnetic deposits too strong for even the enhancers to punch a transport signal through. They would leave these devices behind on the next ledge..._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
The beginning of this episode should - at least visually - have a bit of a James Bond feel...

12.1  
Ice Hole

Belo Rys was on the far right cable. Jarrong was in the lead on the left. Ensign Tolon was up one level anchoring the lines. Four carbon fiber cables snaked down from the anchors above, running down a sheet of frozen sea water. The cavern was bitterly cold, but there was very little air movement and the ground operations team was prepared with insulated uniforms that were just short of being full EVA suits.  
The tactical team was descending in a staggered line. Jarrong, on the left was the first to drop, then Belo Garr, then Belo Cantys, then Belo Rys on the right. This allowed Rys to keep an eye on the rest of the team to spot any trouble with their descent and take action or alert the team. To avoid detection, they were relying on their heat vision instead of lanterns – a gift of their cardassian heritage. 

Chief Dewayne Guth had brought them in the wagon as far down into the cavern as the wagon could safely descend, then flew up out of the cavern, where he was station keeping nearby. Strongly magnetized metal deposits in the ice prevented the use of the transporter. Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys were each carrying a pattern enhancer, but within another hundred meters, these would also become useless - the magnetic deposits too strong for even the enhancers to punch a transport signal through. They would leave these devices behind on the next ledge.  
Nearly a thousand meters further down, Investigator Buttons Ngumbo was scouting the ledge system, helping to guide the tactical squad down. He was using a small flashlight, but relying primarily on his superior olfactory sense. So far, they had not encountered any resistance - which Rys did not find comforting. There was no doubt this facility had been used as a prison, but if no one was guarding the main entrance, it could be a sign that the facility had been abandoned.  
After descending for well over three hours in near total darkness, the tactical team joined Buttons on the bottom level. This lowest level appeared to cover about 500 square meters, but with no evident doors or passageways.

"Dead end," Jarrong whispered.  
"Something smells hot," Buttons observed. "Smell it?"  
Jarrong had the best heat vision of the group - she was able to make out her cousins and Buttons as undulating wraiths of heat, but there was no other source of heat down here. "It isn't down here,"  
"I think it's up one level," Investigator Buttons said.  
Jarrong saw it - a faint heat source within one of the walls above. "It's a trap!! GO UP GO UP GO UP GO UP!!"

Each of the squad members was still connected to the fiber cables they had used for descent. They slammed their hands on controls located on the left breast of their uniforms. Jarrong wrapped one arm under Buttons' crotch and threw him over her shoulder before activating her emergency recoil. Pulleys far above jerked and whined, quickly pulling the tactical squad members up the sides of the shaft as melted seawater crashed through one of the frozen walls.   
Buttons, still hoisted over Jarrong's shoulder, his face against her back, helped unhook her from one pulley system and attached her to the next. Her cousins recovered the pattern enhancers they had left on this level, detached themselves from this pulley system and attached and activated the next as insidious hissing and crashing noises became louder below.   
Tolon was waiting at the next level. With the speed and precision of dancers, Belo Rys, Belo Garr and Belo Cantys detached their cable systems, deployed the pattern enhancers and ushered Jarrong (still carrying Buttons) and Tolon into the triangle with them before activating the pattern enhancers.   
"NOW!! Now NOW NOW!!" screamed Tolon. He was still screaming when the cavern started to dissolve in an array of patterned lights, to be replaced by the rear staging area of the wagon. He only started to breathe properly once the transporter beam cycle was complete and he could see that his team was safely aboard the wagon.  
A viewscreen against the interior wall displayed the same scene that Chief Guth and Midshipman Tammy Brazil were observing up in the flight cabin - the camera on one of the pattern enhancers capturing the other two falling off the dissolving ledge, before falling itself into the freezing, watery abyss.

"That was way too close," Belo Garr observed.  
"Trap," said Tolon, breathing hard.  
"Um, Jarrong?" said Buttons, "You can put me down now…”

12.1


	3. Episode 12.2 - Investigator Shran Walks Into A Bar...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Investigator Shran has been temporarily re-activated as a sniper (assassin) for the Andorian Imperial Guard. He is doing things very much in a non-Star Fleet manner...
> 
> _Inside, the bar was a mess. While at least a half-dozen heavily armed andorians had taken protected positions and were returning fire, none of them seemed to be able to actually hit Shran as he strode up to the bar, selecting and taking down his targets with relaxed precision._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shran is a favorite character. He is not exactly a fluffy bunny...

12.2  
Investigator Shran Walks Into a Bar…

Investigator Lynhart Shran had taken advantage of his time on Earth to refresh his wardrobe. His silvery gray shirt had French cuffs and Belo Cantys had selected platinum cuff-links for him. A new pair of Red-Wing shoes - a deep maroon with ornate patterning, new dark denim jeans with a heavy crease. Even his large leathery looking overcoat had a new silvery sheen to it and a broad collar had been added. Despite his age, Shran still had a ring of hair around the sides of his head that was mostly brown - his craggy features were entirely human except for his large antennae.   
As a hybrid, Lynhart Shran was less welcome in most places in Laikan, the capital of Andoria, than humans or other non-andorians.S  
And this bar, tucked into a back alley, was one of those places where he would be least welcome. Seedy bars full of seedy characters doing seedy things could be found on nearly any planet or moon with humanoids and Andoria was no exception. This establishment did not have a name - only a number in andorian numerals. The door was firmly shut and a large andorian - much larger than Shran - was posted outside to see that it stayed that way to all except for known patrons. And Shran did not qualify.

Shran flipped up the collar on his overcoat, creating a shell around the back and sides of his head and strode directly up to the door-warden.

“You know you’re not…” the andorian started as Shran walked up to him. The door-warden stopped talking as Shran drew an exceptionally large firearm from under his coat and in a single, smooth movement, placed the business end directly under the door-warden’s chin, forcing his head back against the door.  
“Allow me to get the door for you, sir…” the door-warden managed. He started to reach behind his back. Shran casually spun the firearm around, delivering a vicious blow to the side of the andorian’s head, sending a spray of bright blue blood across the door. Shran grasped the unconscious andorian’s wrist and placed the door-warden’s hand on the door’s access panel.   
The door slid open and Shran dropped the door-warden’s wrist, stepped over his semi-conscious body and walked inside, the door sliding shut behind him. A few seconds and a number of loud but muffled explosions later, followed by a crescendo of muffled screams, the door slid open again and seedy looking andorians came pouring out, stumbling over the semi-conscious door-warden. One andorian made it out of the door, then his head exploded.

Inside, the bar was a mess. While at least a half-dozen heavily armed andorians had taken protected positions and were returning fire, none of them seemed to be able to actually hit Shran as he strode up to the bar, selecting and taking down his targets with relaxed precision. Three andorians made the mistake of turning over a steel table and firing at Shran from behind it. One of these stood up to take a shot, just in time to see Shran casually toss a grenade as he walked by, which landed behind him. The grenade exploded just as it hit the floor behind the table.  
As half the room was suddenly awash in shrapnel, phaser and disrupter beams and bullets continued to cut through the room. Shran dropped the repeating musket he had been carrying, hopped up, sat on the bar, lifted his legs, spun around and hopped down behind the bar. One andorian who had been hiding behind the bar pointed a disrupter at the old investigator’s face. In a single move Shran turned the hand and disrupter back toward its owner and forced him to discharge it at himself.  
Someone shot Shran in the back with a disrupter - the old man’s leathery overcoat dissipated the beam. Shran drew his phaser and turned around, phaser in one hand, disrupter in the other. The andorian who had shot him dropped his disrupter and raised his hands beside his face. Both were crouched behind the bar.

“Hello, Shrib," Shran said to the andorian in front of him. He then lifted his gravelly voice so that it could be heard throughout the establishment: "If you want to live, stop shooting and drop your weapons.” There were a few more desultory shots - as if the weapons themselves were confused. Then the clatter of weapons being dropped as the people holding them did the math. “Walk out - now!” Shran shouted from behind the bar.  
Shran looked at the andorian he had captured behind the bar. His voice was quiet but intense, rough. “I’m not going to bind your hands, Shrib. You run away from me, I won’t just kill you. I’ll kill everyone you care about first and make you watch. You’re going to give me everything I want from you, the first time I ask, and if I’m in a decent mood and if you’re very lucky, you might get out of this alive.”  
Shrib was clearly terrified, his face almost blank with disbelief. “You can’t do this, Star Fleet…”  
“The only uniform I’ve ever worn is the Andorian Imperial Guard,” Shran said. “For 30 years. We’re leaving through the front door. Pull yourself together.”

When they stood up, the bar was empty except for nine dead andorians.  
“You killed nine of our people…” Shrib said.  
“Actually, I only killed seven of them. Somebody took advantage of the mayhem to settle a few scores.” Shran looked around. “Bihr th’Rhaotrehr, Ashyss th’Vhaanet…”

Shrib’s antennae flexed wide and forward, almost laying down on his face. “The Ebar syndicate… They’ll be coming after you now.”

Shran made an amused noise. “I have 468 - make that 475 confirmed kills. Most of them andorian. The Ebar syndicate is just going to have to get in line with everybody else. Now out!”

12.2


	4. Episode 12.3 - Standing Requirements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
Justice Minerva Irons begins the long, painful process of mediating Andorian imperial succession using Andorian traditions...
> 
> _“When will this mediation begin?” asked one of the more irritated representatives from House th’Ravonet. “We have been standing here for more than three hours.”_  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is an important beat in the story arc for Justice Irons...

12.3  
Standing Requirements

In a government building in Laikan, Justice Minerva Irons stood in a traditional andorian courtroom. Because Andoria was cold all the time, she had eschewed her usual civilian clothing in favor of the black Star Fleet JAG uniform - thin red piping around the neck and on the cuffs the only sign of the Star Fleet functional uniform color code. Over this she wore her judicial robe. Under most circumstances, this combination was too warm for comfort, but even with these layers, Irons was still cold. Like all andorian courtrooms, this room had no chairs or tables.  
Commander David Pepper and Dr. Tali Shae, neither of whom had the benefit of a robe over their SF JAG uniforms, seemed quite comfortable. Both had been born on this moon. Tali Shae was fully andorian and Pep, although he had never grown antennae, had an andorian grandfather. This had proved useful to Irons in the past when trying cases under andorian civil law.  
Three andorian judges were in the room as well, one representing each party to the mediation. Their role was not to judge the case, but to judge the judge - in this case, Justice Irons. Representatives of each party to the mediation were also present - and impatient for the initiation of mediation. This was a three-way mediation and each party was allowed five representatives. With the zh’Ithirith, th’Ravonet and Shav representatives standing close to one another, there was a small forest of antennae twitching in agitation like tall grasses in a strong wind.

“When will this mediation begin?” asked one of the more irritated representatives from House th’Ravonet. “We have been standing here for more than three hours.”  
Justice Irons remained silent, but opened her eyes and looked at her interlocutor. Mediation would, by andorian legal customs, begin no less than two hours after she broke her silence. The cold was making her feel her age, but within the andorian justice system, Irons was famous for holding her silence for days – weeks – in one famous case more than a month to delay the beginning of forced mediation and allow events to be sorted out on the ground.   
Andorians were not particularly good at staring contests and after a few moments of looking into Justice Irons’ light brown eyes, serene Chinese features, slight hints of vulcan and trill ancestry, the andorian who had complained about waiting had to look away. Irons had mastered the ability to be intimidating without trying to appear intimidating.

Andorian law provided an out for nearly every legal custom, including delaying the start of mediation. Typically this involved challenging the court’s champion, who was required to be of andorian blood, to single combat. Because of his andorian grandfather, Commander Pepper qualified and he had been challenged on a number of occasions. In hand to hand combat, andorians relied on their superior speed and balance. Andorians challenging Pep had quickly come to realize that the giant’s size did not in any way affect his speed or balance and he had earned a reputation for winning such contests usually within less than a minute.   
Irons was counting on Pep’s reputation to help her hold this trial off until she received the signal she was awaiting.

What andorians were exceptional at was standing contests. Within a few minutes, groups of andorians who were standing and waiting would synchronize, until their antennae were moving in unison, setting the balance and movements for the group. Non-andorians were at a serious disadvantage. While Minerva Irons appeared outwardly calm, she was running through her Tai Chi training program in her mind, picturing each move and making minute adjustments to her stance to reduce the pain. Both the standing and the cold were getting to her much more than they had in the past and an acute observer, like Dr. Tali Shae, could notice subtle signs of stress and discomfort on her face. It was going to be a long, painful week – quite possibly much longer…

12.3


	5. Episode 12.4 - Toeing the Line

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> .  
The U.S.S. Director of Ground Operations, Lt. Tauk and his assistant director, 2nd Lt. T'Lon, gather intelligence needed for the next action on Andoria.
> 
> _You know I that am dying, T’Lon. I want you to be prepared to take this seat when I can no longer do the job. You need to let me know whether you can live with toeing those fine lines and making the tough calls._  
.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> .  
This is another beat in the story of Tauk dying from a terminal illness. I am currently writing Episode 20, in which a very feeble Tauk is near the end of his life...

12.4  
Toeing the Line

Lt. Tauk and 2nd Lt. T’Lon were aboard the Hunter in the Ground Operations Center, downloading information from publicly available resources and additional Imperial resources only available due to Justice Irons’ status as an appellate justice not only within the Federation Tribunal, but also within the Imperial Court – a status very rarely afforded to non-andorians.

“Investigator Shran has placed himself on leave status and deactivated his communicator,” T’Lon said. “I cannot locate him – he was in Laikan.”  
“He is on leave and not currently under your supervision,” Tauk replied without looking up.  
“He seemed rather disturbed at the failure of his initial source. He didn’t say anything, but I could hear it in his voice – he seemed quite upset.”  
Tauk continued working without responding.  
T’Lon looked at her commanding officer, weighing her words, then said, “You know him better than I do. I am concerned he might do something rash.”  
“Don’t be,” Tauk replied, still absorbed in the information on his workstation.  
T’Lon raised an eyebrow and watched Tauk. It was evident the ferengi had no intention of furthering this discussion. It was also evident to her that he was parsing his words carefully.

Investigator Shran’s workstation beeped, indicating successful communication – which very few people knew how to access independently. Lt. Tauk looked up briefly at his vulcan 2nd lieutenant, then back at his workstation. T’Lon observed her commanding officer for a few moments, then walked over to Shran’s workstation and accessed it. A vast amount of data had been uploaded – schematics, maps, lists of cyphers with code…  
“It appears Investigator Shran has uploaded a new potential location, sir,” T’Lon said.   
“It also appears that the Investigator was reactivated by the Andorian Imperial Guard,” Tauk replied. He sent a document to T’Lon’s workstation. “They recommissioned him and assigned him an unspecified number of targets related to Imperial security.”  
“Is that allowable under his agreement with Star Fleet?” T’Lon asked.  
“Only when he is on leave,” Tauk replied.  
“So why is he sending us information about potential locations for the abductee?”  
“Presumably, he is doing so under orders from the Imperial Guard. We need to research this information thoroughly. I’m certain Shran would not have sent it if he did not think there was a good chance this is where the hostage is being held, but we don’t know where his information is coming from and whether it is a current source.” Tauk returned his attention to his workstation.  
For a few moments the two lieutenants, alone in the Hunter’s ground ops center, worked silently, pulling down telemetry on the location that Shran had uploaded and pouring over the additional information he had sent.

The silence was interrupted by the communication system, carrying Navigator Eli Strahl’s voice from the bridge, only a few yards away on the same deck. “Lieutenant Tauk, I am forwarding a transmission from Sub Commander Oshreb Sav of the Andorian Imperial Guard.”  
Tauk activated a viewer behind his desk. “This is the Hunter’s Ground Operations Director Tauk, Go ahead, Sub Commander.”  
An andorian wearing the blue and white uniform of the capital division of the Imperial Guard appeared on the viewer. “Director, I am forwarding a file regarding a facility you are investigating on the ground in the area of Bespatel, southern region. The Imperial Guard offers this information in assistance of your ongoing operations on behalf of the Andorian people. Please note that this file is not cleared for evidentiary use and for reasons involving andorian security, cannot be used in either an andorian or federation court.”  
Tauk nodded. “Understood, Sub Commander. We greatly appreciate the assistance. Please extend our gratitude to the appropriate parties.”  
“I will do so and enjoin you to not speak of this transaction to any andorian or official of an andorian institution.”   
“Understood, agreed and appreciated,” Tauk said.  
Sub Commander Oshreb Sav gave a curt salute with his antennae and abruptly ended the transmission.

T’Lon looked up. “Four months of telemetry on the location Shran sent us.”  
“We need to review every moment of this information to make sure we have a good location before retargeting the wagon,” Tauk said.  
“I am uncomfortable that you so easily promised not to inform any andorian or imperial official,” T’Lon said. “That would include the captain as well as the commander and Dr. Tali Shae.”  
Tauk looked at her with some surprise. “I don’t report to any of those people. I report to the Chief of Operations – Lieutenant Commander Mlady. I cannot make promises about what she will report to her commanding officer, but she is neither andorian, nor an official of any andorian institution.”  
“You make a lot of fine distinctions,” T’Lon objected.  
“Fine distinctions are what our work is all about. You know I that am dying, T’Lon. I want you to be prepared to take this seat when I can no longer do the job. You need to let me know whether you can live with toeing those fine lines and making the tough calls. T’Lok did – she taught me this trade.” Tauk glanced at Shran’s vacant workstation. “Well, she and Shran. This operation is as high stakes as we have ever been assigned. You know how vital it is that we succeed here. If that means making some rough calls and drawing really fine lines, that is part of what it means to wear the black uniform.”

12.4


End file.
